This application is related to and claims priority from Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2001-172758 and 2002-97062, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a seal that is attached to a door of a vehicle.
2. Description of Related Arts
A glass run is provided on a window frame, which defines a window glass opening, to guide the vertical movement of a window glass and to seal between the window frame and the window glass. Further, seals, such as an outer glass weather strip and an inner glass weather strip, are attached to the belt line of a door to contact and seal the outer side and inner side of the window glass. Such seals including the glass run contribute to shutting out water, dust, and noise.
The glass run includes a base, or a run main body, which is fixed to the upper, front, and rear sides of the window frame and has a U-shaped cross-section. The glass run also includes a pair of seal lips, which contact and seal the inner and outer sides of the peripheral portion of the window glass.
The outer glass weather strip and the inner glass weather strip are arranged along the belt line, which is located at the vertically middle portion of the door. The two weather strips each include a base, or a main body, which is attached to a door panel by, for example, clips, and a seal lip, which contacts and seals the outer or inner surface of the window glass. An insert, which is formed from a metal plate and functions to maintain the shape of the base or the main body, is embedded in the base or the main body. Each end of the two glass weather strips is connected to the front or rear portion of the glass run. The glass window is normally flat or curved in the vertical and horizontal directions to define a somewhat convex surface.
Due to the trend in appearance and design of a vehicle, vehicles having bodies with curved outlines are being manufactured. To improve the aesthetic appearance, vehicles provided with three-dimensional window glasses that are being developed are significantly curved in the vertical and horizontal directions in accordance with the curved body outlines.
The shortcomings of a vertically movable three-dimensional window glass will now be discussed.
Since the window glass is significantly curved in a three-dimensional manner, the displaced amount of the window frame in a horizontal direction varies accordingly at different locations. The displaced amount of the window frame may be greater than that of a window frame for a conventional window glass. As the displaced amount of the window frame increases, the distance between the outer surface of the window glass and the opposing inner surface of an outer side wall of the window frame and the distance between the inner surface of the window glass and the opposing outer surface of an inner side wall of the window frame become significantly large.
Therefore, if the seal lips used in the glass run and the weather strips for the three-dimensional window glass have the same flexing amount as the seal lips used in the glass run and the weather strips for the conventional window glass, the pressure applied by the seal lips to the inner and outer surfaces of the window glass may be insufficient. When the pressure applied by the seal lips is insufficient, the sealing capability of the seal lips for sealing the interior of the vehicle from the exterior of the vehicle may decrease. Further, smooth vertical movement of the window glass may be hindered.
Accordingly, a seal lip having a flexing amount that is in accordance with the distance between the window glass and the window frame may be employed. However, this would increase the projected amount of the lip from the base of the glass run or the weather strip. As a result, the rigidity of the seal lip would decrease. When the rigidity of the seal lip decreases in this manner, it becomes difficult for the seal lip to produce the preferred sealing pressure and seal the interior of the vehicle from the exterior of the vehicle in the desirable manner.
A vehicle seal is also arranged along a frame of a conventional window glass in addition to a frame of a vertically movable three-dimensional window glass. In such case, the above problem would also occur when the curve of the window frame or the belt line of the door differs from the curve of the window glass.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle seal that prevents the sealing capability of a seal lip with respect to a window glass from decreasing.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vehicle seal attached to a frame defining a window glass opening of a vehicle to support a peripheral portion of a vertically movable window glass. The vehicle seal includes a main body arranged along the frame of the opening. A plurality of seal lips are formed integrally with the main body to contact a surface of the window glass. The plurality of seal lips include an intermediate seal lip and a cover seal lip. The intermediate seal lip and the cover seal lip contact the same surface of the window glass. The cover seal lip is located closer to a center of the opening than the intermediate seal lip. An elastically deformable connecting portion connects the main body and the intermediate seal lip.
A further perspective of the present invention is a glass run attached to a window frame defining an opening in a vehicle to support a peripheral portion of a vertically movable window glass. The glass run includes a vertical portion attached to a vertical side of the window frame and an upper portion attached to an upper side of the window frame. The vertical portion includes a first main body having a U-shaped cross-section and arranged along the window frame. The first main body has a first inner side wall, which is located on an interior side of the vehicle, and a first outer side wall, which is located on an exterior side of the vehicle. A first inner seal lip is formed on the first inner side wall to contact an inner surface of the window glass. A first outer seal lip is formed on the first outer side wall to contact an outer surface of the window glass. An intermediate seal lip is located farther from a center of the opening than the first inner seal lip. The intermediate seal lip contacts the inner surface of the window glass. A connecting portion elastically deforms the first main body and the intermediate seal lip. The upper portion includes a second main body having a U-shaped cross-section and arranged along the window frame. The second main body has a second inner side wall, which is located on the interior side of the vehicle, and a second outer side wall, which is located on the exterior side of the vehicle. A second inner seal lip is formed on the second inner side wall to contact the inner surface of the window glass. A second outer seal lip is formed on the second outer side wall to contact the outer surface of the window glass.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.